This year, you have 365 opportunities to turn a «normal» day into a good one. To ensure this works out as often as possible, we have compiled three tips on training, recovery, nutrition, and equipment.

Training tips

• The road to success involves weeks, months, and even years of consistent training, recovery, and nutrition.
• If you want to have fun while training or improve in terms of performance, then you will need to make sure that you do different forms of training of varying lengths and intensities.
• You will only really get faster if you are prepared to leave your comfort zone. Here we have three specific examples for running, cycling, and cross-country skiing:

Running

1. Run 400 m 12-15 times at a slightly faster pace than your 10-km racing pace (P:1min).
2. Run for 3 min at your 10-km racing pace and repeat this 6-8 times (P:2min).
3. Expand your capacity by running 20 min 2 times at an intensity you could maintain for a maximum of around 90-120 min (P:3min).

Cycling

1. Do 10 1-minute intervals within the range of your anaerobic threshold (P:1min).
2. Cycle 2-3 10-minute ascents at slightly below your anaerobic threshold and incorporate a ten-second sprint every minute (or every second minute).
3. Cycle a 4-kilometre time trial simulation 3-4 times at the intensity of a competition (P:6min).

Cross-country skiing

1. Skate 1 x 4 min at a restrained pace and 3 x 4 min as fast as possible (P:2min).
2. Sprint 20 steps in the 1:1 style and switch back to the 2:1 style for the 1-minute break. Repeat this 12 times.
3. Around every two minutes, continuously increase your already swift pace for 30 seconds until you reach your maximum tempo.

Recovery tips

• Remember that training and recovery belong together, and the next training stimulus should only be introduced once you have fully recovered from the previous training session.
• For an optimal recovery, carbohydrates and proteins should be eaten in the first two hours after a sports activity. The higher the energy requirement during the sport, preferably the higher the percentage of carbohydrates.
• Those who sleep less than six to seven hours a night on a regular basis are three times more likely to get a cold than other people. Sleep is and remains the best medicine and should therefore be given the attention it deserves.

Nutrition tips

• Make sure your diet is naturally diverse. The more often you change your food choices, the more vital nutrients your body will get.
• Eat a handful of nuts every day. They provide your body with valuable fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Watch out: nuts are very high in calories.
• Eat and drink slowly and mindfully. This is one of several keys to staying slim. Treat your meals as a relaxing oasis of calm: don’t let yourself get distracted by your mobile phone or television, etc.

Equipment tips

• Wearing the right clothing makes doing sports twice as much fun. To ensure you wear the proper clothing for the respective weather conditions, we have put together the optimal combination for running, biking and cross-country skiing.
• 1 pair of running shoes per number of weekly units will ensure that your musculoskeletal system is constantly subjected to different loads and will need to constantly adapt itself due to the various last forms (moulds), cushioning systems, supporting elements, and heel-toe offsets.
• It is advisable to test your equipment 2 weeks before a race. In doing so you will avoid nasty surprises on the day.

General tips

• Instead of becoming so fixated on your goal you make everyone around you crazy, approach it calmly and with the necessary relaxed attitude.
  Be open to new ideas and try out this or that without losing sight of your goal.
  From time to time, deliberately treat yourself to a massage, a visit to the cinema, or a piece of equipment, for example. This will increase your motivation.

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